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Budget compact shootout finds the best little digicams for your buck
Sure, we all like reading reviews of high-end compact shooters, like the Olympus E-PL1 and Ricoh's transforming GXR, but, when it comes to actually putting down the credit card most folks go with something a bit more... frugal. So, Digital Camera Resource Page has created the 2010 Budget Camera Shootout, which includes eight cameras in the $150 to $180 range with tiny cases and 4 or 5x zoom lenses. Contenders include the Olympus FE-4030, Samsung SL600, and Canon SD1300. It's perhaps no surprise that the PowerShot, long king of the budget roost, comes out on top, but we won't spoil the rest of the rankings, which do include some unexpected performances, and should enable your buying with confidence for this summer's shooting season -- without blowing your budget.
Olympus goes point-and-shoot crazy with nine new compact cameras
It's always tough for a plain-old point-and-shoot camera to stand-out at CES, so Olympus has wisely gone and played the tried-and-true move of dumping a whole slew of them at once to avoid getting lost in the shuffle . Leading those off are four new 14-megapixel FE Series cameras -- the FE-5030, FE-4040, FE-4030, and FE-47 -- which all pack either a 4x or 5x optical zoom, a 2.7-inch LCD, digital image stabilization (and added mechanical stabilization in the FE-4040), and a double-layered Crystal Shell finish in your choice of a range of colors. Those are complemented by the µ-5010, µ-7030, µ-7040, and µ-9010, which all pack the same 14 megapixels but expand your optical zoom options to 5x, 7x and 10x -- plus some HD video recording on the µ-7030. Rounding things out all by its lonesome is the 12-megapixel µ Tough 3000, which packs a 3.6x wide angle zoom, a 2.7-inch LCD and, most importantly to live up to its name, some water-proofing, shock-proofing and freeze-proofing measures. Dive into the links below for the complete details, and look for the whole lot to be available in March. Read - DP Review, Olympus FE Series Read - DP Review, Olympus µ- Series Read - DP Review, Olympus µ Tough 3000
